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Jeffrey shook his head. ‘But you need money, a deposit for a house.’
‘Theo and I aren’t getting married. But that’s beside the point. I’m not settling in Cambridge. At least not right now.’
Alice said, ‘What do you mean?’
Freya squeezed Tarek’s hand. Before they went down to breakfast she’d told him how she felt about him. He couldn’t live without her either. Right now, the plan was for her to return to Alexandria with him and try to get a job in the famous library while she finished her PhD. She told her parents the news.
‘That’s wonderful news,’ gushed Alice. She looked over at Theo, ‘Sorry, Theo.’
He shook his head, staring at Tarek. ‘I could never give her that life.’
‘But you’re going to be a writer,’ said Freya. ‘I know you are.’ She looked at her dad. ‘And that brings me to the other thing. You’ll let Theo stay on with you, living in your house until he gets on his feet with work?’
Jeff smiled. ‘Of course he can. As I said before, he’s like a son to me.’
‘I’m right here, guys.’
Jeff turned to him. ‘If that’s okay with you.’
‘Of course it is, if that’s okay with you, Mrs B?’
Alice shook her head, although she couldn’t help smiling. Oh, how she’d missed Theo helping himself to snacks and calling her Mrs B An old saying came to mind – when your son gets married, you lose a son but gain a daughter. With Freya moving to Egypt, it felt as though she was losing a daughter but gaining a son. And soon she would gain another one – Omar’s son, Tarek. But then their lives, although conventional in appearance, had actually been anything but. ‘Will you be back?’ Alice asked Freya.
‘Of course. Cambridge is my home. It always will be.’
‘And the guest house?’ ventured Emily. ‘Will you visit us too?’
Wendy said, ‘You know I have photos of you two together before I … before you started your new life in Cambridge. Would you like to see them?’
Freya and Emily nodded. Freya said, ‘I would love to come back and visit you both, if you would like me too?’
Emily and Wendy smiled. ‘Of course we would.’
‘Perhaps next time we could book a room with a double bed?’ She gazed at Tarek.
‘Ahem.’ Tarek looked embarrassed.
Freya saw Omar’s gaze settle on Alice.
Alice wasn’t looking at Omar, but at her husband. She stood up and held out her hand. ‘Come on, let’s go home.’
Jeffrey smiled. That was music to his ears.
‘And book those marriage counselling sessions.’
‘Of course.’ He winked at Freya, mouthing,Thank you. As Omar had said, there were no certainties in life, but at least this was a start, a chance to find out if they had a future together. He glanced at her hand in his and thought that it boded well – very well indeed – as they walked hand-in-hand out the door. He glanced over his shoulder. ‘Theo – are you coming?’
‘Yes, be with you in a sec.’
Theo stood up too. He walked over to Tarek and held out his hand.
Tarek tentatively took it, and they shook hands.
‘I just want you to know there are no hard feelings, Tarek,’ Theo said.
Freya heard Tarek breath an audible sigh of relief. ‘Thank you, Theo.’
Theo turned to Freya. ‘I love your parents.’
